towing capacity

[maverick_935]

I can't seem to find anywhere in this towing section what the legal capacity of these trucks are.

I have a 1998 k2500 6.5 F motor swb extended cab with 3.73's;basically stock

Is a 5th wheel trailer weighing 6200lbs dry too much for this girl or will she handle it ok.

max capacities should be posted somewhere so that those of us still learningcan understand what these trucks can realistically do.

[MikeC]

Maverick,

You should be fine. Your manual should have a GCVWR somewhere. The recommendation is that the combined trailer weight and truck weight loaded not exceed this number.

Mike

[Hubert]

Max weight Legally is a hard definition to get sometimes.

I have read pro's and con's and several posts about lawsuits and negligence issues. Also have read of guys driving through weigh stations with bigger loads than the owners manual state as max and the DOT were OK with it.

I go by the door sticker, tire ratings, license tag weight and same for the trailer. I don't exceed any of the limits and have towed 15,000 lbs gross a few times. Am I legal I think so. I don't know what would happen in a lawsuit or if there were an insurance issue????

You'll have to weigh the rig and see what the numbers are front / rear axles, truck, and trailer weight (for its axles and ratings). Cause thats what my state DOT guys would do on the side of the road or at the scales. I think you should be ok but keep reading others opinions and decide for yourself.

[JCM5]

With a 6.5 I beleive the towing capacity is 8500lbs. Then you have to start deducting from there for axle, manual trans, crew cab etc.

I have a crew cab dually and use to tow a travel trailer at 7200 lbs. Pulled fine on flat grounds around 60 mph. Merging on a e-way or going up a grade is a whole another story.

I switched trailers to a 5500 unit with a 4.56 rear end. I now am confident on grades at merging, however I can only travel at a max of 60-65mph.

These 6.5 are weak engines compared to other units out there, even with all the upgrades you cant touch a duramax or other.

You know its embarrasing when your pulling a light trailer like mine up the hills of newyork and an older couple passes you up pulling a huge 5th wheel.

Remeber, you have to deduct for passenger and cargo weight.

[maverick_935]

I called gm canada to find out what the truck GVCWR is and they tell me that the truck is too old to tell me what is was.
They won't say because they indicated that the truck is not in good enough shape to go to full capacity because of its age. My owners manual doesn't tell either.

I'm basing my trailer search to around 5000-6000lbs in a fifth wheel combination. I think this is not too much weight for this old girl. I don't want to overwork it and yet have a comfortable highway cruise without losing all my mpg.

[DennisG01]

You'll be fine with that weight - I towed a 6,000lb boat with my Burb (which is probably heavier than your truck) with no problems. I was also, of course, towing on a hitch ball instead of a 5th - again, probably another thing that will make it easier for you, by comparison. It should be in the manual - mines a '98 also and it's in there. I'll try to remember to check my manual for you, just in case.

[camperon]

Hey everyone. This is my first post/reply on this site. I am looking forward to learning a lot about upgrading my 98 3500, 6.5TD, dually, crewcab. I was pulling a travel trailer that weighed about 6600 lbs. loaded but have just upgraded to a 10,900 Dry weight fifth wheel. I know, I know! I am way over the weight limit for this vehicle but I will just have to do the best I can for the time being. I think it has a 4:10 rear end which is good. I pulled it home from the dealership and it did fine on the roadway until I got to a long steep incline (bridge). I had to down shift and maintained 40 mph without putting too much strain on the engine but noticed that the temperature went up to around 240. I will have to get the gauges to monitor the EGT's and transmission temp and want to get some modifications done to get a little more power and protect the engine and drive train, so I will be relying on this site to get some information.

I have a couple of flat land trips planned in the next few days. One is to a local campground less than 20 miles away and hopefully will travel about 600 miles to Newport News, Va. next week. I will let you know how it turns out.

[a5150nut]

Try cleaning the radiator first. Lots of trash and dirt can build up between the AC condenser, oil cooler, and radiator.